Food and Nutrition Assistance Research Database

Detailed Objective: This project organizes a workshop on the economics of obesity to be attended by leading health economists. Thirty-one percent of U.S. adults between 20 and 74 years of age were obese as of 1999-2000, a 100-percent increase over 1976-80. Obesity has increased among all demographic groups. Inasmuch as it is the outcome of choices that individuals make regarding eating and physical activity under constraints of money and time, obesity can be interpreted as an economic issue. This workshop will review the current status of health economic research on obesity and consider a future agenda. The workshop is scheduled to be held at the Economic Research Service in Washington, DC, in April 2003.